What comes to mind when you see a beautiful, wealthy women. Do you automatically assume she is a “daddy’s girl”, or extremely superficial? Do you predictably suppose she speaks like a valley girl by using “like” in a sentence more than once, or use the word totally? Are you a typical person that fall into society’s stereotypes portrayed by the media and the culture? Society has various stereotypes amongst women, but as women we should be viewed in a different manner; and positive aspects need to be shown. We currently live in a world where popular culture events manipulate the views of certain individuals. Starting with the depiction of the body, our judgments and moral values, and distinctive stereotypes already installed into people’s minds. Rich women are just one of the many diverse groups relentlessly labeled in the media. By analyzing events, popular movies and television shows such as Real Housewives of Orange County and Beverly Hills, vacationing in the Hamptons, the movie Cluessless, and The Women; will be used to show how this event, show, or movie makes or breaks the stereotype of wealthy women. It is time to take a stand against branding women of a certain class into specific circles by fitting the standard “rich” classification.
Popular culture and media gives is always feeding to a large spread audience giving individuals a certain perception of wealthy women. Though there are people in the media trying to show only the pessimistic side of this group of women. However there are advocates that believe in equal rights for women called feminist, as found in The Routledge Critical Dictionary of Feminism and Postfeminisities. Feminist are majority now groups of women that do not mind standing up for the rights of groups of women being singled out in society. They want women who are “well-off” to be treated fairly in the public eye fairly as others.
Other stereotypes that are pushed upon wealthy women to depict from media are snobs, arrogant, self centered, “plastic”, party animals, “bimbos”, having an ideal life, or even being non nurturing parents just to name a few. Some of the stereotypes have become a social norm in our culture to view ritzy women this way. It has become okay for society to judge these women that are from a different social class just because they are dissimilar from others. These stereotypes more or less make it okay to laugh Paris Hilton’s of the world and suppose they all say “That’s hot”, and speak in a nonchalant tone. And take it upon yourself to say every girl that was on MTV’s Sweet Sixteen is a snobby, artificial bitch. It is extremely unfair to judge these people for their dissimilar way of life.
The Hamptons is located in Long Island, New York. The Hamptons is a vacation spot strictly for the rich and famous. Through it has a small common area; it is known for the upper eastside. The eastside is filled with massive mansions, beautiful beaches, and rich families. Rich women go to escort their husbands to polo matches, catch a glowing tan, and meet the who’s who around the country. Yearly the rap mogul Sean “P.Diddy” Combs throws an enormous party called The White Party.
This party is for the elite that come from all over to attend this event. It is invite only so if you are not there, you can easy feel out of that specific social circle. Though the Hamptons may seem like a harmless vacation spot in New York that just host some popular culture events, it is the complete opposite. The Hamptons is fulfills every stereotype installed into our societies mind, when it comes to perception on this social class. Most of the women that use the Hamptons are a yearly retreat are from all upper class and range from nineteen and up. They tend to fit the rich, snobbish, self centered classification of women that only care about two things, being popular and rich. MTV’s True Life: I’m Working the Hamptons only showed just how these women fit those stereotypes.
There are plenty of popular culture events that revolve around women and being rich. The next few examples discussed will explain how the media makes or breaks the average stereotypes. Through popular culture events, movies, and television show. The first thing is the reality show on Bravo, The Real Housewives of Orange County. This show documents six women who live the high life in Orange County, California. The show goes into the lives of the women and follows them during their day, place of work, and extra activities. The show illustrates the women as superficial, dramatic, and chatty. When there were followed during the workplace setting there was not one really.of the six only one of the wives actually had a daily job. Though the show unenthusiastically views the group in a negative light, but it happens to be very different. Gretchen Rossi, one of the Orange county Housewives happens to be a personal friend. On the show Gretchen it is shown as a young ditzy blonde who was not really a housewife and dated an older man. But if you really knew her, you would know that she is very fun loving and what you see on the show is what you get. Not one second did she change on television to be in the lime light.
The next thing discussed is the movie Clueless. This movie came out in 1995. It is about a young teenage girl named Cher from Beverly Hill, California. Her character fits all of the stereotypes of a youthful teenage girl from that social circle. She lived off of “daddy’s cash”, and never worked. Cher got everything she wanted by whining, and being a brat. In the movie she was very self centered but felt the world revolved around her. This movie fit the typical stereotype of a “Valley Girl”. Cher and her two best friends were very superficial, and throughout the movie felt more superior to others because of their wealth. They live in a fashion obsessed world, but always remained envied by others.
In the movie Cher has an older step brother name Josh. Josh is a mod, college kid who tries to explain to Cher throughout the movie that living superficially is not everything; their happens to be more to life than high school drama, boys, and the mall. This is movie show negative and positive aspects. It shows some that some women are artificial and self absorbed, but there is always someone in that lifestyle to help balance out the true meaning of society.
All of these stereotypes branded upon wealthy women are wrong. This challenges us as a society to change our views, and do not base our opinions in what we see from the media about a group of individuals. As a society we immediately judge and stereotype not only the wealthy but many more groups of specific women. As a society it is time take a stand, stand up for the women being bullied and severely evaluated negatively in pop culture. Women’s feelings are stake, as a society we are promoting pessimistic ways through the media to people that are watching. Making it ok too openly and freely stereotype individuals who may be different from you. It is time to take a stand against branding women of a certain class into specific circles by fitting the standard “rich” classification.
